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Withdean's Greatest XI Vote - Centre Back
With the end in sight for Brighton and Hove Albion's
time at Withdean Stadium,
we've decided to put together a poll for the Greatest
XI to pull on the stripes
during our 12 year stay - with this weeks vote being for
the two centre back slots.
Down the Withdean years,
the Albion have had some superb centre backs.
Three promotions
under three defensive-minded managers were built on impeccably
strong partnerships there as is shown by the fact that
the position has yielded six player of the season awards
so far in the ten seasons we've completed.
It has been
a bloody hard task to create this shortlist, but we've
nonetheless done it. Twelve players and with two positions
up for grabs it means you can vote for your best two -
which is going to be a tough task in itself!
Please
remember you can vote for the TWO centre backs you thought
were the best to play for the club at Withdean.
Andy Crosby
1999-2002,
73 appearances, 5 goals |
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Andy
Crosby was one of Micky Adams' most dependable
signings as Albion manager. He arrived in time
for the first season at Withdean from Chester
for a bargain £10,000 and was a regular for
the remainder of the year. The following season
he played a key role alongside Danny Cullip
at centre back as the Seagulls took Division
Three by storm, including scoring a vital goal
with the unorthodox use of his ear at home to
Blackpool. With Simon Morgan's arrival, he was
deemed surplus to requirements and moved on
to Oxford before joining Scunthorpe. Always
guaranteed a warm reception on his return to
the Albion, he was a rock at the back. |
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Danny Cullip
1999-2005,
2008-2010, 134 appearances, 13 goals |
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Arriving
from Brentford initially on-loan in 1999, Cullip
became an instant hero with the Withdean faithful.
He won the player-of-the-season award in his
first season and again in 2002-2003 and captained
the side to victory in the 2004 play-off final
against Bristol City. A classy defender with
a never-say-die attitude, he wasn't afraid to
hand out tellings off to his team mates either,
with one particularly memorable Withdean exchange
involving him screaming at Robbie Pethick "you
f**king ugly b**tard" loud enough so the
entire South Stand could hear. The definition
of a club legend, Cullip was sold to Sheffield
United for £250,000 in December 2004. |
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Adam Virgo
1999-2005,
2008-2010, 134 appearances, 13 goals |
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Virgo
makes his second entry into the polls at centre
back which was his original position and where
he spent a large part of his second spell at
the club. His first few appearances in 2000
and 2001 came at the heart of the defence, and
he also filtered between there and up front
in 2004-05 in the year he added his name to
the list of central defenders to have won player-of-the-season
before his big money move to Celtic. Both Russell
Slade and Gus Poyet had had enough of the pratting
about regarding his position and used him in
his natural position, and some of his best performances
came there as the Albion battled their way to
safety under Slade in 2009.
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Simon Morgan
2001-2002,
42 appearances, 1 goal |
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Joining
the Albion in the twilight of his career, Simon
Morgan only lasted one season before retiring
but his impact was a profound one. With Micky
Adams judging that he needed more experience
in his team for their return to the third tier,
he turned to his former Fulham colleague. The
35-year-old justified the managers faith by
missing only a handful of games all season when
a fixture backlog meant he was carefully managed
by Peter Taylor to get him through to the end
of the year, which culminated in a second successive
title. Morgan played a huge part with his calming
experience at the back and he was sorely missed after retirement. |
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Adam Hinshelwood
2002-2009, 100 appearances, 2 goals |
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When Hinshelwood made his debut at just
17 away at Burnley on the opening day
of the 2002-03 season, eyebrows were raised
and rumours of favouritism from manager
and uncle Martin spread like wildfire.
They were quickly quashed though as he
put in a solid display and would go onto
do so for the next three years, culminating
in an England under-21 call up. Unfortunately,
a serious knee injury sustained against
Reading ruined that and effectively cut
short his career. It is scary to think
how good Hinshelwood could have become
given he was the stand out player
in the Albion line-up until injury and
he unfortunately never recovered his best. |
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Guy Butters
2002-2008, 187 appearances, 8 goals |
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Guy Butters didn't get off to the best
of starts when he arrived at Withdean
from Gillingham in 2002. Horrendously
overweight and unfit, he found himself
out of the line-up as soon as Steve Coppell
arrived two months after he signed, which
eventually lead to some cheeky fans advertising
him on eBay. Butters knuckled down though
and his reward was regaining his first
team spot in 2003 and ending the successful
play-off campaign as another defender
winning player-of-the-season. He scored
some memorable goals including the winner
at West Ham in 2004, and was a mainstay
of the defence until age caught up with
him and he was released in 2008. |
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Dean Blackwell
2002-2003,
21 appearances, 2 goals |
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Having
lost eleven games in a row, new Albion boss
Steve Coppell knew he needed to do something,
and his first signing for the club was ex-Wimbledon
defender Dean Blackwell. Unfortunately, his
debut didn't go quite according to plan as it
was that infamous 5-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.
Blackwell soon settled in though and became
a regular in the side that came so close
to pulling off a remarkable escape from relegation
in 2002-03, and it was the arrival of both him
and Simon Rodger that really turned the Seagulls
fortunes around that season. A serious injury
sustained in the pre-season schedule of 2003-04
ultimately
led to his retirement. |
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Ivar Ingimarrson
2002,
15 appearances, 0 goals |
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Another
one of Steve Coppell's quality loan signings,
the Icelandic international arrived in February
2002 from Wolves. He instantly slotted into
the back line bringing a composure and ability
on the ball that had been sorely lacking all
season as well as the ability to read the game
that was unrivalled among his team mates. It
was obvious to anyone who saw him play for the
Albion that he would go onto be a Premier League
player, and perhaps one of the most
disappointing
things about the Seagull's relegation from Division
One that year was that had they have stayed
up, Ingimarrson could have become a permanent
resident at Withdean. |
Adam El-Abd
2003-,
298 appearances, 5 goals |
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A graduate
of the youth team, El-Abd took his time to settle
into the side. Although a centre back by trade,
he regularly appeared at right back, left back
and even central midfield in his early days
at the club having made his debut at 18 away
at Notts County. A player who was known to make
one goal costing cock up every ten or so games,
his transformation since Gus Poyet's arrival
in Janaury 2010 has been sensational.
Now one of the most important
players in the side, his confidence on the ball
and his ability to read and react to a situation
means that he is well inline to become defender
seven to win player-of-the-year in the
Withdean era. |
Paul McShane
2005-2006,
38 appearances, 4 goals |
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Paul
McShane remains the only loan player in the
history of the Albion to be crowned player-of-the-season
when he won the award for an outstanding year
in 2005-06. Joining days before the new season
begun from Manchester United, the youngster
become an instant crowd favourite and his popularity
among Seagulls supporters was guaranteed for
eternity when he netted the only goal in the
1-0 win over Palace at Selhurst Park in October
2005. In a season that was full of lows, he
was the one positive to come out of it and his
form was recognised with an international call
up for the Republic of Ireland and ultimately
a move to regular Premier League football. |
Tommy Elphick
2005-,
141 appearances, 7 goals |
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Elphick
made his debut as an 18-year-old susbstitute
in the 5-1 defeat at Reading in December 2005,
but he had to wait a whole two years to establish
himself as a first team regular. He finally
made the breakthrough in the 2007-2008 season
under Dean Wilkins, and such was his impact
on the side that he claimed the player-of-the-season
crown that year in his first full season in
the side. He continued to be a rock at the back
for the next two seasons and although his no-nonsense
approach to defending is popular with the supporters
it hasn't found favour with Gus Poyet which
has resulted in Elphick spending a large part
of the current season on the sidelines. |
Gordon Greer
2010-,
25 appearances, 0 goals |
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Arriving
from Swindon last summer for £250,000, Gordon
Greer was instantly made club captain although
he didn't start his Albion career in the best
of fashions, being sent off on his debut against
Rochdale. Injuries and his wife giving birth
meant he had to wait until October to secure
his place in the first team but since then
he hasn't looked back and has shown signs of
just why Gus Poyet forked out so much for him.
A classy defender as well as one who is fantastic
on the ball, his defence splitting passes from
the back have become a trademark in recent weeks
and he is a big big reason as to why the Albion's
flicky flicky football is so successful. |
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